El Tango De Éponine
by QueenOfTheDiamondDogs
Summary: Éponine is the Sparkling Diamond at the Moulin Rouge. Enjolras has loved her for as long as he has known her. Even before she was the Sparkling Diamond. AU Moulin Rouge based story. M for smut and death.


**El Tango De ****Éponine**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Absolutely nothing. None of the recognisable lyrics or any recognisable sentences from Moulin Rouge.**

**Rated: M for smut and death**

**Pairing: Éponine/ Enjolras**

**Summary: Éponine is the Sparkling Diamond at the Moulin Rouge. Enjolras has loved her for as long as he has known her. Even before she was the Sparkling Diamond.**

_The French are glad to die for love...  
They delight in fighting duals  
But I prefer a man who lives  
And gives expensive jewels._

Éponine dressed in a black dress. Her heart was breaking. She had to tell him to leave her alone. She didn't want to. She loved him. He loved her. But in her job, they were not allowed to tell the world about their love. It was forbidden. They had known each other since they were children. They grew up privileged but their families became penniless after their fathers' businesses failed and went bankrupt. She went to the Moulin Rouge to dance and sell her body. He became a radicle writer. A popular one at that.

Enjolras was the perfect human being in Éponine's eyes. Tall, blonde curls on the top of his head and bright blue eyes. She was the direct opposite; tanned skin, dark hair and dark eyes. For years, they were friends and then one day they became more than friends. They became lovers. Their affair continued into her employment. But they had been caught. Now, she was going to see him and tell him to go. Go away and leave her alone.

_Inside my heart is breaking  
My makeup may be flaking  
But my smile still stays on_

_The show must go on_  
_The show must go on_

They were going to run away together. They had enough money but she could not get away from Thénardier, the owner of the Moulin Rouge, and Javert, the investor of their theatre. The investor had taken a shine to the young star. She was to go with him after the show ended. She knew being a prostitute would have its dangers. Javert was the most dangerous of them all.

"You're dying, 'Ponine." Thénardier had said to her.

She was. She was coughing up blood. Fainting when she was working herself too hard. How was she going to get through the show? How was she going to tell Enjolras that she was sending him away for his safety. She put her hat on and stared at her reflection. She did look ill. She was pale with dark circles under her eyes. She pinched her cheeks to bring some colour to them. She was ready.

_Love makes us act like we are fools.  
Throw our lives away,  
For one happy day._

Éponine burst into his small apartment. They used to share it before she moved into the Moulin Rouge. "Enjolras."

"'Ponine!" He gasped and rushed to her, kissing her hard on the lips. All thoughts of telling him to go went out of her mind. "I hate this. I hate being apart." He pulled her hat off and ran his fingers through her long hair. "What's wrong?" He saw her troubled face.

"You have to go." She remembered why she was there. "You have to leave me." She cupped his face with her hands. Tears ran down her cheeks. Was she going to tell him the truth or tell him a lie? "I'm staying with Javert." A lie. She had to lie.

"No." He pushed her hands away. "No." Shaking his head. "You're lying. Tell me the truth!" His voice rising in anger.

Her lower lip trembled. "It's the truth."

"You're lying! I've known you too long. 'Ponine, please!" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her a little.

"They're going to kill you if I don't leave you. I have to stay with Javert or he will shut us down."

Enjolras kissed her hard, bringing her close. "Then, let this be our last night together."

She nodded and wrapped her arms around him. "Love me, Enjolras. One last time." She pulled his cravat away and began undoing his shirt. They soon shed their clothes and fell onto his bed. "Enjolras, please!" She begged him and spread her legs for him. Éponine cried out when he thrust hard into her.

"Éponine," he groaned as he thrust harder into her. Their hands joined and her legs tight around her. "Éponine!" He gave another cry as he filled her.

Once they were dressed, she left him without a kiss or a goodbye. It broke his heart to see her leave him like this.

Éponine returned to her dressing room in floods of tears. At least he knew part of the truth. Just not the truth of her dying. "Enjolras." She cried and collapsed in the hallway; coughing and retching up blood. Finally falling unconscious. When she awoke, it was time for the show.

_Come what may  
Come what may  
I will love you until my dying day_

Enjolras had knocked on the lead; Marius, and taken his costume. He wanted to let her go for good. He broke into her dressing room during the interval. "I've come to pay my bill." Holding the many notes of money out to her.

"You should not be here, Enjolras." She pushed past him and moved out of the dressing room. "Please go. They'll kill you."

"I don't care. I'd rather be dead than see you with that man!" He grabbed her wrists and stopped her from getting close to the stage. "You won't come with me, I want to pay what I owe for you."

"Enjolras please." She begged him and pulled away, moving up the stairs to the stage.

"She has to go on stage!" Madame Thénardier told him, but he ignored her.

"Why can't I pay you like everyone else?!" He followed her on stage, hidden behind the doors, which would reveal her entrance. "It is not like I have not known you for years!" She fell to her knees in sobs. "Why can't I pay you?! Let me pay you! Tell me it wasn't real! Tell me!" The show continued on, despite the chaos that was happening backstage. "Tell me, Éponine! Tell me you don't love me!" He shouted down at her. "Tell me you don't love me!" The doors opened and he froze.

Éponine sobbed and fell forward as he let go of her wrists. "Enjolras," she whispered, "please."

He pulled her to her feet and pulled her down the steps to centre stage, she fell to her knees in sobs. "This woman is yours now." His eyes fixed on the steely glare of Javert, who was sitting in the front row with a bouquet of flowers on the chair next to him. Enjolras looked down at Éponine and threw the money on the floor. "I've paid my whore." Tears had begun to build up in his eyes. "I owe you nothing. And you are nothing to me. Thank you for curing me of my ridiculous obsession with love." He walked away from her, off the stage, leaving her alone.

Thénardier continued as if it was part of the show. "See. This sitar player doesn't love you. See he flees the kingdom." He knelt next to her. "It's for the best, 'Ponine."

"No." She shook her head, her lower lip trembling.

"You know it is." He helped her to her feet. "The show must go on."

"THE GREATEST THING YOU'LL EVER LEARN IS JUST TO LOVE AND BE LOVED IN RETURN!" Grantaire voiced shouted from above the stage.

Both Éponine and Enjolras stopped and turned to face the other. He was halfway up the centre aisle. "_Never knew_." Éponine began to sing. "_I could feel like this. Like I'd never seen the sky before_." Her eyes fixed on him as he turned away from her, beginning to walk away. She continued singing, "_Want to vanish inside your kiss. Everyday I'm loving you more and more. Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing? Come back to me and forgive everything_!" Her voice building up. She gasped at the end of the note. "_Season's may change winter to spring_." Enjolras had stopped walking and had turned to face her. "_I love you, till the end of time_."

Enjolras smiled and sang in response. "_Come what may..._" The audience turn around to face him as he began walking up the aisle. "_Come what may. Come what may! Come what may._"

They sang together. "_I will love you!_" They kissed for a moment. "_Until my dying day! Come what may! I will love you, until my dying day!_" They kissed again as the curtain fell. They did not see Javert stand up and leave the theatre.

_I follow the night_  
_Can't stand the light_  
_When will I begin to live again_

_One day I'll fly away_  
_Leave all this to yesterday_  
_What more could your love do for me_  
_When will love be through with me_  
_Why live life from dream to dream_  
_And dread the day when dreaming ends_

_One day I'll fly away_  
_Leave all this to yesterday_  
_Why live life from dream to dream_  
_And dread the day when dreaming ends_

_One day I'll fly away_  
_Fly fly away..._

They pulled away from each other and laughed. They had defied odds and remained together. "'Ponine. My Éponine." He kissed her once more.

"Get ready for curtain call!" The stage manager called.

Enjolras held her hand and led her to the front but she did not move. She was trying to catch her breath. "'Ponine?" He stepped towards her. She starts coughing frantically. "Éponine? What's the matter?"

"Fetch the doctor!" The stage manager hissed.

"Éponine?" He held her as she collapsed.

"I'm sorry, Enjolras. I... I... I'm dying. I'm so sorry." Her voice was barely a whisper, he had to move closer to hear her properly. "Hold me."

He pulled her onto his lap and held her close. "Shhh... You'll be all right. The doctor has been fetched for you."

"You've got to go on, Enjolras."

Enjolras shook his head as the tears fell down his cheeks. "I can't. I can't go on without you."

She gave a small and weak laugh. "You have got so much to give. Tell our story, Enjolras." He shook his head. "Yes. Promise me."

"No." He shook his head.

"Yes." She gave a small smile. "That way, I'll always be with you." She let out a breath and died in his arms.

He stared down at her in shock. "No." He whispered. "NO!" He screamed in distress and denial. "Éponine!" He held her close and sobbed into her long hair. "'Ponine!"

_There was a boy  
A very strange  
Enchanted boy  
They say he wandered  
Very far, very far  
Over land and sea  
A little shy and sad of eye  
But very wise was he_

_And then one day_  
_One magic day_  
_He passed my way_  
_While we spoke_  
_Of many things_  
_Fools and kings_  
_This he said to me_  
_"The greatest thing_  
_You'll ever learn_  
_Is just to love and_  
_Be loved in return._

**The End**


End file.
